With a frenetic pace tilting along at full speed, Melbourne artist KAI CULT‘s new single ‘Cigarette Burns’ is energetic, unhinged and absolutely satisfying.
Like a masked antagonist careering through the night with a chainsaw, the music slashes and burns under the band’s disturbed, yelping, laconic vocals. It’s controlled chaos, utterly cathartic with a genetic connection going back to the theatrical poise of The Cramps, the aggression of The Gun Club and the shock and awe of The Birthday Party. Yes, it’s dirty, scuzzy garage rock at its most deconstructive level and all the better for it.
Of the song, KAI CULT says:
The track reflects on mixed feelings while going through tough times, sometimes it may seem like things are okay but deep down they may not be. I set out to capture the mental extremes of what society is undergoing currently in the pandemic.
In the punk DIY aesthetic, the video is directed and edited by the artist himself and shot by friend Sam Van Munnen. The clip was shot across various Melbourne locations, including cobblestone side-streets, beautiful parks and a rooftop carpark in the heart of Brunswick:
with the clip, my drummer Darcy and I wanted to show how much fun we have hanging out and playing music with each other, and also show viewers that you don’t need a huge budget to make a fun video, just a keen eye and also to exhibit some colourful personality!
Simple but so very effective:
There’s hope for the future of rock’n’roll with stuff of this calibre. You can download or stream the single here or even better get direct from the band here:
